Unit 5: Tansen

Tansen was a very naughty child who could imitate the calls of birds and animals perfectly. One day, a famous singer named Swami Haridas, along with his disciples, settled down in a shady grove to take rest. Seeing them, Tansen tried to frighten them away by roaring like a tiger. When the travellers found out it was Tansen who made the sound, Swami Haridas was impressed by his skill and called him ‘talented’.

Tansen learnt music from Swami Haridas for eleven years and became a great and famous singer. Once Tansen went to Akbar’s court to sing and soon became a great favourite of the Emperor. Akbar was highly impressed with his performance, and he asked Tansen to join his court immediately.

Tansen became a great favourite of Emperor Akbar. The Emperor would often call upon Tansen to sing at any time of the day for a performance. Akbar would often just walk into Tansen’s house to hear him practice. Besides that, he would also give the singer various beautiful presents.

With the increase in Tansen’s popularity, the other courtiers of Akbar’s court became jealous of him. They decided to ruin his music career and get rid of him forever.

1. If Raga Deepak was sung properly, the air and surroundings would become so hot that the singer would be burnt to ashes.
2. Some courtiers of Akbar’s court were jealous of Tansen and his popularity and soon they became his enemies. They wanted him to sing Raga Deepak so that he would die out of heat and burn to ashes.

Tansen was afraid to sing Raga Deepak, but agreed to sing it as he dared not disobey the king. Besides, he also wanted to exhibit his singing ability and talent in music.

1. Tansen was worried and afraid after being asked to sing Raga Deepak. He requested the king to allow him some time to prepare for it. In the meantime, he thought of a brilliant idea. He taught Raga Megh to his daughter, Saraswati, and her friend, Rupvati for two weeks. He told them that soon after he completes singing Raga Deepak, they should start singing Raga Megh to bring rain and appease the effect of the heat.
2. Yes, Tansen’s plan worked perfectly. When he sang Raga Deepak, the surroundings became warm – the leaves of trees dried up, birds fell dead, water of rivers began to boil, people were terrified that flames shot up out of nowhere and lighted the lamps. Just then, Saraswati and Rupvati began to sing Raga Megh, the sky filled with dark clouds and the rain came down suddenly and this saved Tansen’s life and the surroundings from more damage.